


The deepest night

by hirondelle



Series: #GouKi2020 on twitter [4]
Category: Inazuma Eleven
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Clairvoyant!Kidou, GouKi2020, GouKiWeek, M/M, Magic, Mercenary!Gouenji, Political Alliances, Royalty, day four: rest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:08:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27033184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hirondelle/pseuds/hirondelle
Summary: Gouenji Shuuya is the captain of a team of mercenaries, and he is held captive by Lord Endou's right-hand man, Kidou Yuuto. As he figures out the path of his own fate, he receives an unexpected offering.
Relationships: Gouenji Shuuya & Gouenji Yuuka, Gouenji Shuuya/Kidou Yuuto
Series: #GouKi2020 on twitter [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1972378
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	The deepest night

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfiction is inspired by the character's designs shown in the Orion no Kokuin's ending, in which Kidou is presented as a sorcerer, while Gouenji is an archer. There's probably nothing too "shippy" in this fanfiction, I just want to assure you that nothing bad happens to Gouenji.

It was dark. Not completely, since he could see beyond the bars of his cell, thank to an oil lamp hooked on the wall. His eyes were used to the obscurity of the night, always searching for the next target. But there was something eerie in that narrow, cold jail, if nothing else because he wasn’t used to be put in a room until dawn.

And there was nobody there, which was strange since it was held prisoner in the royal castle’s underground. Gouenji expected to see cells full of political dissidents and terrorists, just as he had seen in many places like this. But his breath was the only one audible for meters and meters, even the few guards were pretty silent. Gouenji knew what the quietness of the night was like, and nothing was even comparable to this. Itwas upsetting.

They had taken his bow and all his knives, but they let him have the cloak and for now it was working. Not that he was feeling cold: inside him, there had always been an everlasting fire that always protected him in every mission he took, no matter how difficult it was. But there was something reassuring in the fact that at least his sister’s cloak was with him, even if it hadn’t any value.

There was something he couldn’t understand: why nothing had happened for the past few hours. Gouenji had expected to be beaten at any moment, but he wasn’t even chained. They probably figured out he was harmless, unable to use any type of magic, because he couldn’t see any magic barrier either. But how?

There were many stories lingering around the court of Lord Endou. Apparently, there was a powerful clairvoyant in his ranks, capable of things beyond imagination. He hadn’t given any credit to those chatters, if only, because no human was really gifted with that kind of power. But now he would have had to retract, since he was going to meet him, as some soldiers said.

Gouenji thought nothing about it. He didn’t even know why someone so important was coming for him, since he was captain of a simple bunch of mercenaries. He knew nothing, and nothing they would have got from him. What would have happened if they had found he wasn’t useful as they expected him to be?

Answers came quickly.

As soon as he heard the heavy footsteps coming from the upper floor, he got up and got defensive. The two guards opened the door without saying a word, and the mysterious man entered.

Apparently, he didn’t need any protection. He walked the hallway alone, pushing his mantel behind his back with a theatrical gesture. As soon as he reached his cell, he paused and looked at him in amusement. “Good evening. Feeling refreshened?”

Gouenji reciprocated his gaze with wariness, noticing immediately how he wasn’t even armed. As if the man had read through his mind, he put his hands up. “Don’t worry. I’m completely harmless. See?”

That wasn’t enough to make him feel at ease for sure, but somehow he lowered his guard. “Who are you?” he asked, even if it was obvious.

The man smiled. He wore deep black glasses and his garment was full of Lord Endou's vestiges: he recognized them because the symbol of his household was the emerald, and the mysterious man was covered in it.

“I’m Kidou Yuuto, Endou’s right-hand man,” he explained briefly. “I’m sure you have heard something about me”.

“Something,” Gouenji admitted, still defensive. “What do you want?”

Kidou took a chair leant against the wall on his left. “Take a seat, Captain. Get comfortable.”

Gouenji hadn’t any chair in his cell, but sat down anyway. He was feeling a bit dizzy since he had been arrested and anytime he got up, his head was spinning. He didn’t know which kind of sorcery it was, but he felt oddly weak. Or maybe he was fatigued for the long journey to the castle.

“Why am I not restrained?” he asked warily. “Why am I the only one kept down here?”

Kidou didn’t miss a beat when he answered: “Endou doesn’t make prisoners. He prefers allies by far,” he gestured towards him. “This jail is not ideal for sure, but it’s a temporary solution. It all depends on what are you going to do”.

“I am of no use”, Gouenji claimed. “I don’t know why you think I would serve Lord Endou properly”.

Kidou smiled at his words, as if he knew something he couldn’t grasp by himself. “I think you underestimate your potential, _Captain_ ,” he whispered. “Right now you are weakened by the capture. But all you need is a bit of rest”.

Gouenji looked at him in confusion. “Rest?” he repeated.

“You see, Captain. I have reason to believe that your last assignment was inadequate for the skills you possess,” Kidou illustrated. It was like being in the presence of a storyteller, images vivid in his mind.

“I’m just a mercenary,” Gouenji objected.

“A prodigy,” Kidou corrected him. “A master in the use of the bow, a fierce soldier when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. Capable of covering distances of miles and miles in few days. An eyesight able to pierce the obscurity of the deepest night”.

Gouenji fell silent.

“Even if the Kidokawa Empire gave you the role of captain, I would like to say that you should aspire to something greater, And this is the offering we are making to you,” Kidou finished.

Gouenji went quiet for a while, scrutinizing the man in front of him through the bars. If the legends told the truth, he wasn’t to be trusted. But what they wanted from him, that wasn’t still clear. “I’m content with the state of things right now,” he declared. “There’s nothing you can say to persuade me”.

Kidou kept his smile on. “It’s not a matter of persuasion,” he said. “To be honest, I would like to play with you in that sense, it’s something I deeply enjoy. But this is not the case. Lord Endou wants you as a member of his royal guard, and is willing to accomplish every request of yours to have you by his side”.

“Why?” Gouenji inquired. “Why me?”

“Because you are a good man, _Gouenji_ ”.

For the second time, that surprised him.

Kidou got up and covered the distance between his seat and the bars. His sole presence was enchanting. “You must have noticed. The empire is full of corrupted people,” he paused. “I’m one of them”. He made two steps to the left and raised his head up, like he was contemplating a thought. “But Endou… Endou is different. I wish you could see it by yourself, with your own eyes. His soul is pure and there isn’t a strain of malice in his vein. That’s the type of person he is. And is giving you a possibility of escapism from the misery of this world”.

Gouenji felt a lump in his throat as he began to speak. “But…” he said, “I have ties with the empire’s government. I’m afraid I’m not the right man to receive an offer like that”.

Kidou gave him another fond look. “If it’s the health of your sister Yuuka you are talking about, there’s no need to worry about that”.

The Captain gasped. “How do you know about Yuuka?!” he cried.

The clairvoyant smiled. “It looks like my fame isn’t as pervasive as I thought. This is a good sign”. 

Gouenji remained silent. Of course he knew. Of course he was using the card of his sister’s sake to corner him, as many others did. The debt contracted with the Empire’s system amounted to an exorbitant sum: he was told he would have had to fight all his life to repay it. His situation with Lord Endou wouldn’t have changed for sure. But there was something in Kidou’s tone… something in the way his nebulous eyes pierced through the glasses to reach him, that was different from any other one he encountered in his life.

“What should I do?” he whispered.

Kidou smirked. “You have time to think about it,” he assured him, “maybe I said it already, but you need some rest”.

“Rest?” Gouenji repeated, as he did before.

Kidou twisted his own wrist towards him and suddenly he felt heavy as if his own body was going to crumble under his head. In no time his eyes were closed, and he fell on the floor, bent by a gentle and invisible force.

“May I be here for your return, Captain Gouenji”.


End file.
